Comment: Gossip as a "policeman" and a "teacher"

Text 3, “Social Grooming: The Role of Gossip” by Michael S. Gazzaniaga, provides an interesting quote you are invited to comment upon: “Gossip is a policeman and a teacher. Without it, there would be chaos and ignorance.” (ll. 78-80)

First of all, let us focus on the two instances in which gossip is portrayed. Gossip is personified and it becomes both a policeman and a teacher.

When we think about a policeman, we tend to focus on authority, power and punishment. Indeed, as expressed in Text 3, gossip means gaining authority in a larger network: “The advantages of language are that you can groom several people at once (more efficient) and you can get and give information over a wider network.” (ll. 27-30)

Gossip can also be associated to the image of a policeman in what punishment is concerned. When gossiping, one has the opportunity of discovering a betrayal or a lie and, thus, has the power of punishing the offender: “As a social group gets larger and more dispersed, cheaters or free rid...